Motorist feel their way of life is under attack (zoning, environment, sidewalks)

[Craziaskowboi]

I support the construction of bike lanes and the expansion of commuter rail. I support people having options. With that said, I support enhancing all kinds of transportation infrastructure, including that for cars. If any of you have ever driven I-376 through Pittsburgh, you'd realize that some highways are just obsolete and must be modernized not just for aesthetic purposes, but also for efficiency and safety purposes. We can return many of the city streets to bikes and pedestrians without a problem, and we can reclaim old rail right-of-way to rebuild rail transit, but the Interstates must meet modern Interstate standards, which I-376 never has, even when it was new. While it's true that favoring cars over trains, bikes and pedestrians is wrong, favoring them all over cars is no better. Two wrongs don't make a right. All forms of transportation should be enhanced.

[HenryAlan]

Originally Posted by nybbler

Sorry, the hostility of many urban planning advocacy organizations towards cars is obvious and palpable. And you see it here too.

You might be interpreting re-balancing as hostility. I don't know the particulars of the planning in your city, but I know that where I live, there was a prolonged period of designing things in ways that favored suburban drivers, even in the city, which came at the expense of people who actually lived in the city. The idea now is not that we shouldn't allow people to drive in to town, but that we should subsidize it less, leaving some of the street for other purposes like walking and cycling.

[HenryAlan]

Originally Posted by CSD610

I live 20 miles from the nearest "big" city and there is no way I am going to get on a bicycle and go to town to run errands, go to the market, do any shopping, etc.

Of course, why would you ride a bike for that purpose? Is somebody telling you to do that?

I do encounter a lot of bicyclists while I am driving into town and they have got to be the rudest, most ignorant humans on the planet. They do not ride properly, take entire lanes, move very slow and do not even attempt to allow a vehicle to try and pass them. It would be a blessing in my area if bicycles were not allowed on the roadway because I live in the country outside of town in a very rural, farming area.

Let's break down this list a bit, because what you are seeing as rudeness is, from the biker's perspective, a matter of safety.

1. taking the lane: this is much safer than trying to ride close to the edge, where the cyclist risks hitting the curb or (if there is curbside parking) risks being hit by a suddenly opened door. Yes, it causes the driver to sometimes have to wait before an opportunity to pass. Nobody has the right to go as fast as they want. We all have the obligation to go as fast as is safe for not only ourselves but for other vehicles on the road, including bicycles.
2. moving slowly/not allowing passing: this is much the same issue. Obviously a human powered vehicle will not be able to go as fast as a car. To expect otherwise is, well, kind of bizarre, don't you think? The bike cannot go as fast as the car. When it takes the lane, which is to say when it isn't making an effort to allow the car to pass, the rider is exercising judgement about the available space between the edge of the road and the area used for travel. Let's turn this statement around a bit. Should a cyclist claim that the car doesn't even make an effort to travel at a speed safe for bicycles? Or should both cyclist and driver understand that there are other vehicles on the road, with different features?
3. Not allowing bicycles on the roadway: where then, would you suggest they go?

What I see to an extent in your post, and quite a bit more in the angry statements about a war on driving, is a group of road users not interested in sharing the resource with anybody who doesn't want or isn't able to use the road in the exact same way.

[uptown_urbanist]

I think there is some hostility towards cars from some people, but given that the automobile is king in this country I certainly don't think die-hard drivers need worry that their preferred mode of transportation is endangered. Cars tend to be privileged over most other forms of transportation in most American locations, even in spots where it doesn't make much sense. And even the die-hard drivers would, I assume, think it's a good thing to get more cars off our roads -- better for the environment, and even if they don't care about global warming, it means less traffic for them. In any case, I agree with HenryAlan that it's mostly about balance. There's a place for automobiles in our society, and I think everyone acknowledges that, but ultimately it's the needs of people that need to come first. Our focus on putting cars first sometimes loses the big picture. (minimum parking spots required for businesses or for new housing, for example, which puts the desire for easier street parking as a higher priority than supporting small businesses or providing people with a place to live.)

[hensleya1]

Originally Posted by CSD610

I do encounter a lot of bicyclists while I am driving into town and they have got to be the rudest, most ignorant humans on the planet. They do not ride properly, take entire lanes, move very slow and do not even attempt to allow a vehicle to try and pass them. It would be a blessing in my area if bicycles were not allowed on the roadway because I live in the country outside of town in a very rural, farming area.

Hi CSD610--

I wholeheartedly agree with this post! +Rep for this one. In my entire life I've only had two incidents of running into other vehicles, and they were both bicycles.

The first, about four years ago, was at a stop sign. I had stopped, and then inched forward to see if the way was clear to make a right turn, since shrubbery obscured the view. I had been stopped for a good thirty seconds when a bicyclist flat-out broadsided the passenger door. He simply wasn't paying attention to the stopped car in front of him.

The second, just this last year in downtown, was a bicyclist who blasted across a crosswalk, running a red light, and I ended up taking him out pretty good, damaging my hood and ruining his bike. We both got cited, and I wound up in court arguing my case. In the end, about a month later, I ended up collecting damages to my hood from the other guy. Not good.

I support being able to bike places - but not until a whole lot of cyclists understand the rules of the road. Until then, stick to bike trails and paths.

[Katarina Witt]

Much as I like NPR, I read that article and thought "what the . . . ?" I don't know of anyone who feels their 'way of life' as a motorist is under attack, anywhere.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by hensleya1

Hi CSD610--

I wholeheartedly agree with this post! +Rep for this one. In my entire life I've only had two incidents of running into other vehicles, and they were both bicycles.

The first, about four years ago, was at a stop sign. I had stopped, and then inched forward to see if the way was clear to make a right turn, since shrubbery obscured the view. I had been stopped for a good thirty seconds when a bicyclist flat-out broadsided the passenger door. He simply wasn't paying attention to the stopped car in front of him.

The second, just this last year in downtown, was a bicyclist who blasted across a crosswalk, running a red light, and I ended up taking him out pretty good, damaging my hood and ruining his bike. We both got cited, and I wound up in court arguing my case. In the end, about a month later, I ended up collecting damages to my hood from the other guy. Not good.

I support being able to bike places - but not until a whole lot of cyclists understand the rules of the road. Until then, stick to bike trails and paths.

And it would be great if those drivers that don't know the rules of the road stuck to their garage. I bike and drive, I prefer biking, but it is not a feasible form of transport for all things I do. My list of the worst drivers, from a bikers perspective are:
1. teenage boys
2. older women in the rain
3. parents taking their kids to daycare in the morning

[hensleya1]

Originally Posted by almost3am

And it would be great if those drivers that don't know the rules of the road stuck to their garage. I bike and drive, I prefer biking, but it is not a feasible form of transport for all things I do. My list of the worst drivers, from a bikers perspective are:
1. teenage boys
2. older women in the rain
3. parents taking their kids to daycare in the morning

Hi almost3am--

I know my experience is anecdotal, but considering I've had two run-in's with bicycles and non so far with cars in my life, and also that there are thousands of cars for each cyclist (especially since I drive mostly on freeways), I would argue that cyclists, as a whole, are far more unsafe than drivers.

I have no problem with cycling - I do it all the time, on bike trails and in dedicated bike lanes - but I want people to do it safely and responsibly.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by hensleya1

Hi almost3am--

I know my experience is anecdotal, but considering I've had two run-in's with bicycles and non so far with cars in my life, and also that there are thousands of cars for each cyclist (especially since I drive mostly on freeways), I would argue that cyclists, as a whole, are far more unsafe than drivers.

I have no problem with cycling - I do it all the time, on bike trails and in dedicated bike lanes - but I want people to do it safely and responsibly.

There are no dedicated bike lanes or bike trails between my house and the train station, and I would like to go carless on my commute to work. I follow the laws of the road, mostly (I will roll through a stop sign from time to time), and legally I get 1/3 of the lane in Illinois, so I take that. I do try to be extra careful, because i find that some drivers do not pay attention to bikers.

I also drive every week, so I understand how you can feel that bikes get in the way, but since I have started biking I have found that patience on the road is safer than hurrying, for everyone. I do agree there are bad cyclists, I see them all the time, just like I see inattentive or bad drivers, but there are rules of the road that cover both forms of transportation. We just need to find a way to all get along on the road.

[nybbler]

Originally Posted by HenryAlan

You might be interpreting re-balancing as hostility.

If by "re-balancing" you mean taking away resources from cars and dedicating them to other forms of transportation, or worse taking away resources from cars just because, then yes, I would consider that hostility.